Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown will be up for re-election in 2018 in Ohio, where Republicans Donald Trump and Sen. Rob Portman won handily last year. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call file photo)

In the final stretch of the 2016 campaign, Paul Maslin could sense that former Sen. Russ Feingold was in trouble, as the Wisconsin Democrat tried to win back his Senate seat from Republican incumbent Sen. Ron Johnson.

“I could feel Johnson found a message groove and Russ was doing sort of a victory lap,” said Maslin, a Democratic consultant in the Badger State, who was doing work for the independent expenditure arm of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.

Trump tweeted early Wednesday, citing an interview the WikiLeaks founder did with Fox News on Tuesday in which he said a “14-year-old” could have hacked into the email account of John Podesta, Hillary Clinton’s campaign manager.

Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, while he was director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, prepares to testify at a 2012 Senate Armed Services Committee hearing. President-elect Donald Trump has tapped him as his national security adviser. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call file photo)

National security advisers typically work in the shadows, but President-elect Donald Trump’s reported pick for the key job is more of a flame-thrower who has labeled the Muslim religion “sick” and called for Hillary Clinton to be thrown in prison.

Multiple news organizations reported Thursday evening that the incoming president has formally offered the job to Michael Flynn, the retired three-star Army general. Dismissed from the Pentagon’s top intelligence post in late 2014 for what his superiors called a too-contentious style, Flynn is also highly regarded in military and intelligence circles.

Republican president-elect Donald Trump acknowledges the crowd along with his son Barron Trump and his wife Melania Trump during his election night event at the New York Hilton Midtown in the early morning hours of Nov. 9, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

After a bruising and scandal-riddled campaign, Americans traded in “hope and change” for “drain the swamp,” choosing Donald Trump as their next president.

The real estate tycoon and former reality television star pulled off arguably the most stunning upset in U.S. political history, riding a wave of popular angst and anger by running a campaign built on vague-but-bold promises and a dearth of policy prescriptions.

First lady Michelle Obama, seen here in July at the Democratic National Convention, delivered a passionate speech on Thursday, slamming Donald Trump for lewd comments about his pursuit of women. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call file photo)

The White House on Thursday essentially dared Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump to take on first lady Michelle Obama.

“I can’t think of a bolder way for Donald Trump to lose even more standing than he already has than by engaging the first lady of the United States,” Eric Schultz, principal deputy White House press secretary, told reporters on Air Force One.

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz is raising cash for some fellow Republicans who have criticized him in the past. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call file)

Many Senate Republicans don't have nice things to say about Texas Sen. Ted Cruz but he is about to help some of them raise money for their campaigns.

Cruz antagonized many of his Senate colleagues by helping to force a government shutdown in 2013. He angered others in July when he refused to endorse GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump after earlier pledging to do so during the Republican primaries.

The Republican Senate candidate in Colorado has been trailing Sen. Michael Bennet in recent polls but he is hoping for some "Labor Day magic."

Darryl Glenn has consistently lagged behind Bennet by double digits in one of the few competitive Senate seats that Democrats are defending this cycle. Glenn won his five-way primary race in June after the campaign of former state Rep. Jon Keyser imploded.